If Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman were a lesser man, he would’ve done a Jim Thome home run trot around the city of Cleveland following his NBA trade deadline magic on Thursday.Instead, Altman, 35, was up early Friday after conducting a teleconference Thursday evening and was on his way to Atlanta to meet with the team and new players acquired in the mega deals Altman and his front-office staff orchestrated.On Thursday before the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline expired, Altman acquired Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Los Angeles Lakers, Rodney Hood from the Utah Jazz and George Hill from the Sacramento Kings and sent out Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose and a 2018 first-round draft pick.Drastic times call for drastic measures, and the Cavs’ road to nowhere compelled Altman to make bold moves. Cleveland is 31-22 and in third place in the Eastern Conference, barely ahead of Milwaukee, Washington and Miami and 6½ games behind Toronto and 7½ behind Boston. The Cavs were rotten defensively and slipping offensively, and Altman didn’t like the decaying culture the team had established.“We wanted to be patient and wanted to see this thing work out,” Altman said. “We were excited about what we had at the beginning of the season on paper … but we were really worried that what was going on on the floor and our culture in the building, we were marching a slow death. We didn’t want to be a part of that.” Trade deadline roundtable: What do deals mean for LeBron's future with the Cavs? Q&A: Isaiah Thomas' agent says 'he wanted to be in Cleveland' 2018 NBA trade deadline tracker: Who went where? So, Altman revamped the roster. There is no guarantee this group works better than the one two days ago, but it can’t be worse“It’s obvious that the goal was to get younger,” Altman said on a Continue Reading

The Cleveland Cavaliers, tired of losing games and unwilling to let any more animosity fester, blew up their roster on Thursday, got younger and retained their coveted Brooklyn pick. In three separate deals, the Cavs kept themselves competitive for this season and positioned themselves well depending on what happens this summer. By bringing in Utah's Rodney Hood, Sacramento's George Hill, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cavs took on money and sent a direct message to LeBron James. Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert and Isaiah Thomas are out, giving the Cleveland locker room a breath of fresh air. USA TODAY's NBA insiders Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt shed light on Thursday's surprising trade deadline. What does this mean for LeBron’s future with the Cavs?Amick: Forget for a minute that this deal helps the Lakers have a better shot at being able to afford LeBron – we’ll have more on that later. As it pertains to the Cavs and their ability to mend fences with their “hometown” hoops hero, to re-sign him this summer rather than seeing him leave for a second time, this is a huge win.So much for the supposed discord between James and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert compelling Cleveland to stand pat. 2018 NBA trade deadline tracker: Who went where? All in: Cavs trade for Utah's Hood, Sacramento's Hill in three-team deal IT on the move: Cavs trade Isaiah Thomas, pick to Lakers for Clarkson, Nance Jr. The league’s oldest roster gets an infusion of talented youth (Hood, Clarkson and Nance Jr. are all 25), becomes more potent and versatile on both ends of the floor, and Gilbert shows a willingness to take on future money that sends an important message about his commitment to title contention. Clarkson is owed $25.9 million combined in the next two seasons; Hill is owed $19 million next Continue Reading

The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded Dwyane Wade to the Miami Heat, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced publicly. The Cavaliers will receive a heavily protected second-round pick in return.With the Cavs getting younger, the deal gives Wade a chance to return to Miami where he spent the first 13 seasons of his career and won three championships — two with LeBron James.Wade, 36, was limited to a reserve role this season with the Cavs, averaging a career-low 11.2 points and 23.2 minutes. The Cavs have been the NBA's most active team ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, also acquiring Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, George Hill and Rodney Hood.► 2018 NBA trade deadline tracker: Who's going where? Continue Reading

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Los Angeles Lakers for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and Cleveland’s 2018 first-round pick, a person with direct knowledge of the trade told USA TODAY Sports.The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the deal until it was officially announced. On the move: Cavs trade for Utah's Hood, Sacramento's Hill in three-team deal Isaiah Thomas before trade: 'I just want to be where I'm wanted' 2018 NBA trade deadline tracker: Who's going where? All in: Thunder taking huge gamble on Paul George The Cavs needed to make a move. Despite last night’s over 140-138 overtime victory over Minnesota, they have struggled. Since a victory over Chicago on Dec. 21, the Cavs are 7-13, and they are just ½ game ahead of Washington and a game ahead of Miami for third place in the Eastern Conference.The results with Thomas, who missed the first two-plus months of the season rehabbing an injured hip, in the lineup haven’t been productive either. With Thomas on the court, the Cavs are 7-8 and score 103.5 points and allow 118.6 points per 100 possessions for a minus-15.1 net rating.Thomas was not a fit on the court or in the locker room. Despite just a handful of games played, he has been outspoken about Cleveland’s problems, saying when things go bad players go their separate ways.The Cavs wanted defensive help, and Clarkson and Nance should help in that area. Cleveland also took on future money in the deal. Clarkson is due $12.5 million 2018-19 and 13.4 million in 2019-20, and Nance is on a team-friendly rookie deal.The Lakers freed up salary cap space. Thomas and Frye are unrestricted free agents after this season, giving the Lakers room to add two max salary players in free agency this summer – Cleveland’s LeBron James could be on the receiving end of one of those max Continue Reading

Isaiah Thomas, just hours after claiming that he didn't want to be traded again, was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, ending his tumultuous — and brief — tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers."I'm tired of being traded," Thomas said following Cleveland's overtime win against Minnesota on Wednesday night. "That's not a good thing. But I just want to be where I'm wanted. I like it here. It hasn't been as planned, but I definitely want to be here. We have a real chance to win an NBA championship, and I want to be a part of that."Instead, the two-time All-Star now heads to a new team — via trade — for the fourth time in his career.► NBA trade deadline tracker: Who's going where?► Tyreke Evans, Marcus Smart headline surplus of wings availableIt hadn't been the smoothest of sailing for Thomas since being dealt to Cleveland in August. He didn't make his season debut until Jan. 2 due to a hip injury which sidelined him for seven months and played in just 15 games for the Cavs — eight of which were losses. He averaged nearly half as many points as he did last season (28.9 per game down to 14.7) and shot a career-low from both the field (36.1%) and beyond the arc (25.3%). His struggles — and some critical comments he made about the team — contributed to the Cavs' growing tensions and led to boos from fans, many of whom were clearly frustrated with the team's recent struggles.While they sit in third place in the East at 31-22, the Cavs are closer to missing the playoffs entirely (four games out of ninth place) than they are to grabbing the No. 1 seed (seven games behind Boston). Continue Reading

It hasn't been the smoothest of sailing for Isaiah Thomas since being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in August, but the two-time All-Star point guard says he has no desire to pack his bags for a new city once again."I'm tired of being traded," Thomas said following Cleveland's overtime win against Minnesota on Wednesday night. "That's not a good thing. But I just want to be where I'm wanted. I like it here. It hasn't been as planned, but I definitely want to be here. We have a real chance to win an NBA championship, and I want to be a part of that."► NBA trade deadline tracker: Who's going where?► Tyreke Evans, Marcus Smart headline surplus of wings availableThomas, who didn't make his season debut until Jan. 2 due to a hip injury which sidelined him for seven months, has played in 15 games for the Cavs — eight of which have been losses. He's averaging nearly half as many points as he did last season (28.9 per game down to 14.7) and is shooting a career-low from both the field (36.1%) and beyond the arc (25.3%). His struggles — and some critical comments he's made about the team — have led to repeated boos from Cavs fans, many of whom are clearly frustrated with the team's recent struggles.While they sit in third place in the East at 31-22, the Cavs are closer to missing the playoffs entirely (four games out of ninth place) than they are to grabbing the No. 1 seed (seven games behind Boston). Thomas, who was drafted with the final pick in 2011, was traded from Sacramento to Phoenix in 2014 and Phoenix to Boston in 2015. The trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. Continue Reading

Blake Griffin spent his first eight-plus seasons in the NBA with the Clippers. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press) When Blake Griffin joined several other NBA players Monday in expressing shock on Twitter at his trade to the Pistons, it seemed at the time that the former Clippers star was having some fun with the notion that he, too, had just found about it. However, Griffin said Wednesday that he did, in fact, learn of his trade from Twitter. “Shocked is a good way to put it,” Griffin said at his introductory news conference in Detroit (via the AP). “I didn’t know anything. I pretty much found out when everybody else found out. It just kind of took a second to realize, ‘Okay, everything’s changing.’ ” [What the Blake Griffin trade means for the Clippers, Pistons and the rest of the NBA] pic.twitter.com/1uoIZ0Sxcc — Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) January 30, 2018 “Basketball is a business, the NBA is a business, and they made a decision,” Griffin told ESPN. “The only thing — I just wish I had known or had the opportunity to talk to somebody beforehand. “Finding out through Twitter, through other people, is a tough way to find out when you’ve been with a franchise for so long. But at the end of the day, basketball is a business, and I want to play where a team wants me.” Blake Griffin found out he was traded like everyone else did, on Twitter… pic.twitter.com/eb3UdqfDBE — Dime on UPROXX (@DimeUPROXX) February 1, 2018 Griffin said that his desire “to play for a franchise that wants me to be here” was a reason he did not push for a no-trade clause when he signed a five-year, $171 million contract with the Clippers in the offseason. He also pointed to the long-running saga last season between the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony, who reportedly used his no-trade clause to block multiple attempts by New York to move him elsewhere, as a Continue Reading

Blake Griffin was averaging 22.6 points, the second-best mark of his career, with the Clippers. (Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press) The NBA trade deadline does not arrive until Feb. 8, but the Clippers and Pistons did not want to wait that long to pull off a stunner. In a swap Monday that was widely reported but has yet to be officially announced, Los Angeles sent all-star forward Blake Griffin to Detroit for a package of players and draft picks. [What the Blake Griffin trade means for the Clippers, Pistons and the rest of the NBA] Part of the surprise came from the Clippers having just signed Griffin in the offseason to a five-year, $171 million contract by selling the eighth-year player, whom the team made the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, on remaining the franchise’s cornerstone and eventually having his jersey retired. While Los Angeles also took a step back in the offseason by trading Chris Paul to the Rockets, the team has been unexpectedly competitive this season, and its playoff hopes got a recent boost with the season-ending injury suffered by the New Orleans Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins. However, the Clippers have apparently decided to blow things up, with two other prominent veterans, DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams, reportedly also on the trading block. In the meantime, the trade of Griffin more than caught the attention of other NBA players, including the Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma, the Trail Blazers’ C.J. McCollum and the Magic’s Evan Fournier. Let the trades begin sheeeesh — kuz (@kylekuzma) January 29, 2018 — CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) January 29, 2018 Wow — Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) January 29, 2018 Even the Clippers’ own players were taken aback, to judge from Sam Dekker’s reaction. Oh, and Griffin himself saw fit to provide an appropriate GIF. pic.twitter.com/tGOFe7mRr7 — Sam Dekker (@dekker) January 29, 2018 pic.twitter.com/1uoIZ0Sxcc — Continue Reading

CLEVELAND — Avery Bradley was traded for the first time in his career in July.He could be on the move again in the coming days.The Detroit Pistons (22-26) have lost eight straight games and have fallen three games out of the Eastern Conference playoff chase.Bradley is in the final season of a four-year, $32-million deal, creating speculation that the shooting guard’s expiring contract will be made available before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Bradley understands the business side of the NBA, and expects the Pistons to do whatever’s best for the franchise — just like he will when he has to decide his destination when the free agency period begins July 1.“They got to do whatever's best for the team just like I would do whatever's best for me,” the Pistons’ starting shooting guard told the Free Press after Sunday’s 121-104 loss at the Cleveland Cavaliers.“That's simple.”Hours later, ESPN.com posted a story saying the Pistons have made Bradley available in trade talks.The team has been assessing his value for the past couple of weeks, according to a person with firsthand knowledge of the situation.The Pistons would love to acquire a first-round pick for Bradley, but talks haven’t gained traction.There's hope a team seeking an upgrade at shooting guard will believe Bradley will perform better in a secondary role. ►Live: Pistons, NBA trade deadline rumor mill ►More: Starting Anthony Tolliver could help Pistons' sinking ship Bradley, whom the Pistons acquired last July from the Boston Celtics for forward Marcus Morris after the franchise decided to move on from restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, has struggled since Dec. 1.He’s shooting 32.7 percent from 3-point range and 36.8 percent from the floor over that time span. He is averaging 13.3 points per game and he has the worst net rating (minus-6.2) on the team.The Pistons have leaned Continue Reading